Laundry apparatus.



Patented Jan. 9, 1900;

W. H. WELSH.

LAUNDRY APPARATUS.

(Application filed May 26, 1899.)

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(No Model.)

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No. 640,847. Patented Jan. 9, I900.

w. H. WELSH.

LAUNDRY APPARATUS.

(Application filed May 26, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

WILLIAM I-IENRYWVELSH, OF STILLWATER, MINNESOTA.

LAUNDRY APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,847, dated January9, 1900.

' Application filedMay 26,1899. Serial No. 718,881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY WELSH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Stillwater, in the county of Washington and State ofMinnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in LaundryApparatus, of which the following is a full and completespecification,such as will enable those skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to drying apparatus for use in laundries, and theobject thereof is to provide an improved apparatus of this class whichcomprises a suitable main frame or support and a plurality ofdrying-frames which are adapted to be connected with said main frameorsupport and to be held in an upright position and to be successivelyreleased and allowed to fallinto a horizontal position; and with thisand other objects in View the invention consists in the construction,combina- -tion,and arrangements of parts hereinafter described andclaimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanyin g drawings form a part, in which the separateparts of my improvement are designated by the same numerals of referencein each of the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of theapparatus which I employ, a number of the dryingframes being shown inposition; Fig. 2, a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 a side view, and Fig. ataperspective view, of the drying-frames detached from the main frame orsupport of the apparatus and suspended on horizontal wires or othersupports, the main portion of the drying-frames only being shown.

In the practice of my invention I provide a plurality of drying frameswhich consist each of side plates 5 and outer and inner end bars 6 and7, and connected with said side plates and said end bars arelongitudinal and transverse wires or strands 8 of any suitable material.The outer end bars 6 are provided at each end with hook-shaped catches9, the purpose of which is hereinafter described, and in the practice ofmy invention I assemble a number of thei drying-frames composed of themembers 5, 6, and 7 and cross-wires 8, each of which frames is connectedby means of keepers 10, secured to the end bars 7 at either end thereofand within the side plates 5 and with a loop of a helical spring 11,three of the said drying-frames being shown so as sembled in thedrawings.

Two of the springs 11 are employed, and each of the ends of each isconnected with a head 12, and the springs are retained in parallelposition and the heads connected in pairs by means of normally parallelbrace-rods 13 and 14, respectively, and the ends of the brace-rod 13 areprovided with angular end projections 15 and the brace-rod 14 withangular end projections 16, adapted to engage therewith to lock thesprings 10 in compressed position, and in practice the collars and cuffsto be dried are laid upon the frames 5, 6, 7, and 8 and then dried, ashereinafter described.

I also provide a main frame or holder for the drying-frames, comprisinga base 17, centrally of which is supported an upwardlyand slightlyrearwardly directed support 18, and on either side of said support are apair of uprights 19, inclined {similarly thereto, and connected with oneend of the base 17 and extending at right angles thereto is asupplemental base 20, from the forward end of which projects an upwardlydirected yokeshaped support 2l,.provided at its upper end with two arms22 and 22, the first of which is bifurcated, forming a supplementalyokeshaped support, comprising arms 23 23. The main frame or support isalso provided with devices for supporting and releasing thedrying-frames, which I will now describe. A leverarm 24, provided with ahandpiece 25 at its forward end, is pivoted to the rear end of the base20, as at 26, and a keeper 27 is secured to the base 20, and the forwardend of the lever 24: operates within the same and is actuated by acoiled spring 28, mounted between said lever and the base 20.

A double-crank lever 29 is pivoted between the arms 23 by means of a pin30 passing through one of its arms 3l,and pivoted at the outer. end ofits other arms 32 and 33, as at 34 and 35, respectively, are a pair ofangular fingers 36 and 37, respectively, and said fingers projectthrough and operate within horizontally-arranged perforations 38 in theinner arm 22 of the yoke-shaped support 21.

A linkrod 39 is pivotally connected with the double-crank lever 32, andis also. connected with the lever-arm 2i, centrally there of, and ifwhen the parts are arranged as shown in the drawings the handpiece 25 bedepressed the finger 36 will be projected through its opening 38 and thefinger 37 correspondingly withdrawn,and when the hand piece 25 isreleased the opposite movement of said parts will ensue.

When it is desired to dry the collars and ends which have been spreadupon the drying-frame, the latter are suspended from wires, comprisingan upper parallel pair and a lower parallel pair 41, in the positionshown in Fig. 4. The springs 11 are allowed to expand, forcing apart thebrace-rods l3 and 14, and the inner ends of the frames are placed uponthe lower wires 41,. and the catches 9 are hooked over the upper wires40 and the frames allowed to rest in an inclined position.

In the practice of my invention the main frame or holder is placed upona table or other support, and the projections 15 and 16 of thebrace-rods 13 and 140i the springs 11 are brought into engagement,compressing saidsprings and bringing the inner ends 7 of thedrying-frames into a bunched position, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.The uprights 19 are then passed upward between the projections l5 and 16and the frame inner ends 7, and the frames are raised and held in suchposition by the fingers 36 and 37, as shown in the drawings, and areprevented from falling rearwardly by the support 18.

In the position described the fingers 36 and 37 project approximatelyentirely across the adjacent side plate 5, as shown in Fig. l, and whenit is desired to fill one of the dryingframes the handpiece Z5 isdepressed and allowed to rise under actuation of the spring 28, and bythis action one of the said frames will fall, as shown in Fig. 3. Themotion of the fingers 36 and 37 is alternately reciprocating through theopenings 38, and the result thereof is to pass the frames forwardly tothe finger 37. When all the drying-frames have been filled, they aredetached from the uprights 19 and carried to the drying-room, where theyare separated into the position shown in Fig. 4, the projections 15 and1d of the end rods 13 and 14 being taken outof engagement and thesprings 11 expanded, and said frames are suspended from the wires 40 and41, as shown in Fig. i. The springs 11' are also retained in theirextended position by means of cords or otherdevices 42, attached to theheads 12 and suitably secured adjacent thereto, and when the collars andends are dried the cords 42 are detached and the frames removed from thewires 40 and 41, and the collars and culfs may he slid therefrom andfinished as usual.

It will be apparent that any desired nu mher of thedrying-frames may beconnected and operated as herein shown and described, and the entireapparatus is simple in construction and operation and well adapted toacconi plish the result for which it is intended, and it will beapparent that changes in and modificationsof the construction hereindescribed may be made without departing from the spirit of my inventionor sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters 1. In an apparatus of the class described, a main frame orsupport, a plurality of flexibly-connected portable drying-frames whichare adapted to be detachably mounted on said main frame or support, anddevices for holding said frames in an upright position, and forreleasing the same one at a time, substan tially as shown and described.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a plurality of drying-frames,flexibly connected at one end, and devices for'locking said connectedends in a bunched position,substantially as shown and described.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a main frame or support, aplurality of dryingframes flexibly connected and adapted to be held in abunched position on said frame or so pport, said frame or support beingalso provided with apair of reciprocating fingers, and adapted to engagesaid frames to hold them in a raised position, and to successivelyrelease said frame, substantially as shown and described.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a main frame or support, anda plurality of drying-frames flexibly connected at one end, said mainframe or support being also provided with an upwardly-directed member,and uprights at each side thereof which engage said drying-frames, andsaid main frame or support being also provided with reciprocatingfingersadapted to operate in connection with said drying-frames to holdthe'same in an upright position, and also to successively release them,substantially as shown and de scribed.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a main frame or support, anda plurality of drying frames flexibly connected at one end, said mainframe or support being also provided with an upwardly-directedmember,and uprights at each side thereof which engage saiddrying-frames, and said main frame or support being also provided withreciprocating fingers adapted to operate in connection with saiddrying-frames'to hold the same in an upright position, and also tosuccessively release them, and a pivoted spring-operated lever inoperative connection with said fingers, substantially as shown anddescribed.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a main frame or support, aplurality of drying-frames flexibly connected at one end, means forconnectingsaid drying-frames with said main frame or support, and a pairof reciprocating fingers mounted in said main frame or support andadapted to hold said drying-frames in an upright position, and also tosuccessively release the same, substantially as shown and described.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, a main frame or supportprovided with a bifurcated arm, a double-crank lever pivoted in saidarm, two angular fingers pivotally connected with said crank-lever, anda plurality of drying-frames flexibly connected at one end, and alsoadapted to be connected with said main frame or support, saiddryingframes being adapted to be held in an upright position, and to besuccessively released by said fingers, substantially as shown anddescribed.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a yoke-shaped support, one ofthe arms of which is bifurcated, a double-crank lever pivoted in saidsupport by one of its arms, an angular finger pivotally connected witheach of the other arms of said crank-lever, and a pivotedspring-operated actuating-lever operatively connected With saiddouble-crank lever, substantially as shown and described.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, a plurality of drying-frames,a pair of coiled springs with the convolutions of which said frames arepivotally connected, heads secured to the ends of said drying-frames,and bracerods connected with said heads and provided with endprojections adapted to coengage,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 22d day of May,1899.

WILLIAM HENRY WELSH.

Witnesses:

L. B. CASTLE, FAYETTE B. CASTLE.

